Over 100 repairers in total attended two recent seminars put on by the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) on Aug. 26 and Sept. 9. The “Procedures for Proper Structural Repair” course, presented by longtime AASP/NJ supporter and industry consultant Larry Montanez of P&L Consultants, covered damage analysis and proper repair practices for today’s modern vehicles.

All repairers in attendance left the completed course with a training certificate that will qualify toward 2010 New Jersey Auto Body License renewal.

Montanez kept attendees engrossed with real-world accounts of collision repair processes and procedures, while injecting helpful tips and suggestion gained from his years as a consultant along the way. As he explained, one of the most helpful  and cheapest  things repairers can do to protect themselves is to photo-document the entire repair process.

“I had a shop where the customer came back following a repair and tried to pin responsibility on them for what they claimed was an incorrect airbag install," he said. "The airbag engaged abruptly after the car left the shop, but the shop had photo documentation of the entire process. They were able to prove that they had not performed a flawed install. As it turned out, the airbag discharged because the customer drove over a deep pothole. How much did it cost this shop to protect themselves? How much does it cost to take a few pictures nowadays, with digital camera technology? Nothing.”

“We can always count on Larry to give in-depth look into the most important aspects to consider in the collision repair process, and these two seminars certainly did not disappoint,” explains AASP/NJ Executive Director Charles Bryant. “Best of all, not only did attendees tonight walk away with some great education, but they are also one step closer to renewing or obtaining their auto body licenses.

“With our industry, it literally pays to stay ahead of the game,” added Bryant. “With help from great instructors like Larry Montanez, we are helping our members to do just that, one seminar at a time.”

AASP/NJ says it is in the process of finalizing details for more upcoming training opportunities.